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With focus and determination to a new level of flexibility and strength…

As a mixture of back bending and arm balancing, this challenging pose from the family of side planks falls in the same category as Vasisthasana and Visvamitrasana which you might have practiced with us earlier this year.

In Sanskrit, the ancient language of the yogis, Kapinjalasana means 'Partridge Pose', from Kapiñjala (grey partridge) and Asana (seat or posture). It requires balance and strength simultaneously and whilst challenging to perform, is especially beautiful when practiced with proficiency, and can boost the energy levels in your body.

Some of the benefits you can expect from practicing Kapinjalasana

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Kapinjalasana requires plenty of training and preparation. Once you practice it correctly, it has plenty of positive physical effects:

Your shoulders and arms are being strengthened and prepared for even more challenging poses.
Your arms are being toned and prepared for even more intense arm balancing sequences.
Your psoas muscles and core muscles are being strengthened, which helps to keep your spine flexible and strong.
In stretching your leg muscles, abs, arms, hips, shoulders etc., your limbs are being toned and your joints become stronger and more flexible.
As a heart and chest opener, Kapinjalasana encourages deep breathing, which activates your lungs and diaphragm.

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On a more subtle level…

By engaging your body as a whole, Kapinjalasana enhances your full body awareness. In order to get into the pose, you need to engage and coordinate your hamstrings, shoulders, arms, hips, legs, back and more. To remain stable, you need to focus on your body as a whole instead of just one specific area. If any of your muscle groups is weaker or less developed than the others, you will become aware of where you need to do your ‘homework’ in order to be able to perform Kapinjalasana in its entirety.

Whilst Kapinjalasana might seem daunting and difficult to achieve in the start, it is all the more rewarding when you get there. Once you achieve a sufficient level of strength and flexibility, you will notice your levels of energy and confidence increase from within. Your main challenge will be to maintain your focus and determination when practicing preliminary postures. That way, you will train yourself up step-by-step and muscle group by muscle group, to eventually perform Kapinjalasana as a whole.